Darren Bent has suggested that Manchester United could sell Bruno Fernandes during the January transfer window after the midfielder publicly criticised head coach Michael Carrick's tactics. The comments follow United's 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday evening at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
Nico Paz scored twice for the hosts, with Anastasios Douvikas and Jacobo Ramon also on the scoresheet. Joshua Zirkzee's late goal proved little more than a consolation for United, who have now lost two of their opening three Champions League matches.
Fernandes criticises Carrick's game plan
After the match, Fernandes was quick to question the approach taken by the coaching staff. He told the media: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence."
He added: "It's not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early. Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements with the ball, not many things going our way."
Fernandes continued: "Conceding early makes us go into game with a mood of defeat, it's difficult to get out of that, trying to be brave, to have the ball and make something happen. If we are not able to do that, it is going to be very difficult to get out of this situation."
Carrick responds to captain's remarks
Carrick responded to the criticism in his own post-match press conference, saying: "We actually were half-pressed man-to-man in the second-half, then conceding a goal from that. There's a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you ain't going to win."
There have been calls for the club to strip Fernandes of the captaincy following his public challenge of the head coach. However, some pundits believe United could go further and sell the 32-year-old in January should a suitable offer arrive.
Bent suggests £80m Saudi move
Speaking to talkSPORT, Bent said: "I think for someone like Bruno - January, if you can get a big chunk of dough from Saudi. You can get £80m from Saudi, of course you would."
He added: "At some point, you're going to have to move forward. And I've said it before, it's going to hurt. Moving forward is going to hurt because I've seen it first-hand [at Arsenal]."
Bent also argued that either Carrick or Fernandes may need to leave for progress to be made at the club. He explained: "At some point, you have to move on from it. And if that's the manager, Bruno Fernandes, because some of the players at Manchester United now shouldn't still be there at all."
On Fernandes, he added: "A lot of Manchester United fans will be thinking, 'Well, what do we look like without him?' At some point, you're going to have to move past him anyway. And if you look at Manchester United's mid years in terms of the trophies - it's under his watch as well. So, whether you start, whether you play him and you don't win trophies, or you don't play him and not win trophies, you're still in the same boat."
